Vers une sociologie des relations avec la nature

Abstract

The thinking presented in Par-delà nature et culture invites sociology to take up the question of humans beings' relations with nature. Sociology is perhaps better disposed to do this than anthropology given what is in fact its strong, spontaneous reluctance to refer to invariants thought of as defining what is specific to humanity. An effect of Descola's book is to suggest the interest for sociology of taking up and further developing Durkheim's thesis that humans perceive their relations with nature «on the image» of social relations.